The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, reported Tuesday that one of its fighters was killed and two others were injured in a tunnel collapse accident in the Az-Zeitoun neighborhood, east of Gaza city.

The Brigades identified the slain fighter as Mohammad Ahmad As-Sahri, 20, from the Az-Zeitoun neighborhood. Dr. Ashraf Al-Qodra, spokesperson of the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, stated that the body of the slain fighter and the two wounded residents were moved to the Ash-Shifa medical center in Gaza city.

At least 232 Palestinians have been killed in similar accidents since the Israeli siege was imposed on Gaza in June of 2007. This number includes 20 Palestinians who were killed after the Israeli army bombarded several tunnels as they were in them.

The siege has left Gazan hospitals and medical center out of basic and specialized supplies and equipment, an issue that has led to the death of more than 400 patients, including infants and children. Many patients died while waiting permits from Israel to cross the border for medical treatment.

Mushir al-Masri, Hamas leader and member of its parliamentary bloc, stressed that digging tunnels under Egypt's borders with Gaza is an exceptional measure that resulted from the suffocating siege imposed on the Strip.

Masri said in remarks to the Egypt 25 TV on Wednesday evening: "The Palestinian people's problems have not changed. There is not only the problem of the siege, and many Palestinians have been prevented from travelling."

Regarding the accusations propagated by some Egyptian media accusing Hamas of being involved in the Rafah attack and the killing of Egyptian soldiers, he stressed that all the rumors and accusations aim to undermine the Hamas movement.

"No formal statement was issued by the Egyptian security or the Egyptian government accusing Hamas of being responsible for this incident," Masri said, stressing that his movement has nothing to do with the incident.

The Hamas leader pointed out that since the incident, a joint committee has been formed between the Egyptian and Palestinian security, and that it has not proven the involvement of any party from the Gaza Strip in the incident.

Masri added that the finger of accusation should be pointed to the Israeli occupation.

He stressed that Hamas will never give up its principles and will always adhere to the Palestinian constants, until the liberation of Palestine.

Three Palestinians were injured on Tuesday when a gas canister exploded in one of the tunnels south of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, spokesman for the Palestinian Ministry of Health Ashraf al-Qidra said.

A fire broke out after a gas canister being transferred to Gaza exploded. Two young men sustained serious burns in different parts of their bodies and were transferred to Nasser Medical Complex to receive treatment, al-Qidra told PIC's reporter. He added that a third citizen broke his pelvis while working in one of the tunnels, and he was taken to Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital in Gaza city. Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation authorities have continued to close the Karm Abu Salem crossing in the southeast of the Gaza Strip for the sixth day respectively. Raed Fattouh, the head of the Coordination Committee of entry of goods into the Gaza Strip, said in a press statement that the occupation authorities have continued on Tuesday to prevent the entry of goods and aid to Gaza because of the Israeli holidays. Israel has closed the crossing since last Thursday under the pretext of rockets falling on the settlement of Sderot in the southern part of 1948-occupied Palestinian territories.

The Palestinians' tunnel industry which facilitates the smuggling of goods from Egypt to Gaza has seen many unusual sights along the years, from cows being dispatched to Gaza, to cars being dismantled on one side and reassembled on the other. This weekend one tunnel became a scene of an event of a totally different nature.

In what could be seen as a modern day version of Romeo and Juliet, Palestinian Emad al-Malalha, 21, and Egyptian Manal Abu Shanar, 17 - two lovers separated by a border - used one Rafah tunnel to unite and wed.

The two had been engaged for six months but could not marry as border authorities refused to give Manal a permit to cross into Gaza.

Undeterred, the couple who were forced to communicate only via telephone, hatched a plan. They would use the smuggling tunnels to sneak the bride into the Palestinian side.

Dressed in a white wedding dress, Manal entered one of the tunnels where she was met by Emad in his groom's outfit.

After walking hand in hand for almost half a mile, they emerged from the tunnel to be greeted by family and friends before being driven straight to a wedding hall in Gaza.

The Palestinian ministry of interior in Gaza expressed its dismay at some Egyptian officials for declaring their country's intention to continue its security campaign against the tunnels in the Rafah border area. In a press release on Monday, the interior ministry demanded the Egyptian authorities to consider the humanitarian situation in Gaza resulting from Israel's blockade and open the Rafah crossing fully instead of destroying the tunnels. "The interior ministry is following up with great concern the remarks made by some Egyptian officials about what is going on in the area of tunnels on the Gaza Strip borders and reiterating their statements about the closure of the tunnels forever," it underscored. It added that on the ground, the Egyptian military forces keep destroying the tunnels without any consideration for the blockade imposed on Gaza for more than six years and Israel's control of the access of vital needs.

The ministry affirmed that the tunnels are under its full control and used only for humanitarian purposes and to sustain the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in the face of the Israeli occupation. "The dependence on these tunnels is exceptional and emergency situation to face the blockade imposed on the Palestinian people, and if there is another alternative and the crossings are opened fully, we will not need the tunnels, which are like the main lifeline at the present time," it said. The interior ministry also highlighted that Egypt's national security is part of the Palestinian security and a red line for the government in Gaza. It hailed Egypt's new leadership for its support for the Palestinian cause, expressing hope that the post-revolution Egypt would always stand by the Palestinians in times of need. In a related context, member of Hamas's political bureau Khalil Al-Hayya reiterated that his Movement does not interfere in in Egypt's internal affairs and is keen on its security and stability. During his meeting on Monday with an Egyptian delegation, Hayya stressed that Egypt's security and stability are strength for Gaza and the Palestinian people. He said that Israel still imposes a tight blockade on Gaza despite the truce agreement, so the tunnels also remain important to face that siege. "What is needed today is to work on providing every moral, material, political and media support for Gaza to stop the ferocious attack on it and allay the fears that possess a few people in the Egyptian society," the Hamas official stated.

An Egyptian court ruled Tuesday that all border tunnels between the Gaza Strip and Egypt “must be closed and demolished, as they are draining the Egyptian economy and resources, in addition to the fact that some tunnels are used for smuggling weapons into Gaza”.

The ruling was made amidst an ongoing Egyptian campaign that demolished dozens of tunnels, and flooded them with toxic waste-water since the beginning of the year.

An Egyptian lawyer who filed the lawsuit said that, since the Egyptian revolution started on January 25 2011, thousands of Palestinians crossed into Egypt via the border tunnels.

The lawyer said that the tunnels have drained the Egyptian resources and economy, as Egyptian products and goods are being illegally sent to Gaza.

He also said that weapons, fuel, stolen cars and food supplies are being smuggled into Gaza, an issue that is leading to negative impacts on the Egyptians in Sinai in particular, and in Egypt in general.

Furthermore, Egypt said that it has numerous security concerns regarding the tunnels, and added that some of the gunmen who, in August of last year, killed 16 Egyptian soldiers at an Egyptian military base close to the border with Gaza, in Sinai, entered Egypt through the runnels. Palestinian armed groups in Gaza denied the report, and said that had nothing to do with the attack.

Border tunnels in Gaza became very essential due to the ongoing Israeli siege that was imposed in June of 2007.

Nearly %30 of the goods that enter Gaza are smuggled through the tunnels, and at least 10.000 Palestinians work in these tunnels, the Quds Net news agency reported.

The agency added that the Ministry of Interior in Gaza, run by the Hamas-led government, stated Monday that all border tunnels in Gaza are “well controlled”, and that the government monitors the tunnels to ensure they serve a humanitarian mission that counters the illegal Israeli siege on the coastal region.

Earlier last month, the Egyptian Security Services announced that they managed to uncover a weapons’ storage facility loaded with advances missiles, including antitank and antiaircraft missiles that weapons dealers intended to smuggle into the Gaza Strip via border tunnels.

It is worth mentioning that at approximately 232 have been killed in tunnel collapse accidents, including twenty Palestinians who were killed after the Israeli army bombarded several tunnels as they were in them. Around 800 Palestinians have been injured in these incidents.

Tunnels are also used for smuggling urgently needed medical supplies and medications missing in Gaza Strip hospitals and medical centers due to the Israeli siege.

The siege has left Gazan hospitals and medical center out of basic and specialized supplies and equipment, an issue that has led to the death of more than 400 patients, including infants and children. Many patients died while waiting permits from Israel to cross the border for medical treatment.

Egyptian forces have flooded smuggling tunnels under the border with the Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip in a campaign to shut them down, Egyptian and Palestinian officials said.

The network of tunnels is a vital lifeline for Gaza, bringing in an estimated 30 percent of all goods that reach the enclave and circumventing a blockade imposed by Israel for more than seven years.

Reuters reporters saw one tunnel being used to bring in cement and gravel suddenly fill with water on Sunday, sending workers rushing for safety. Locals said two other tunnels were likewise flooded, with Egyptians deliberately pumping in water.

"The Egyptians have opened the water to drown the tunnels," said Abu Ghassan, who supervises the work of 30 men at one tunnel some 200 meters (yards) from the border fence.

An Egyptian security official in the Sinai told Reuters the campaign started five days ago.

"We are using water to close the tunnels by raising water from one of the wells," he said, declining to be named.

Dozens of tunnels had been destroyed since last August following the killing of 16 Egyptian soldiers in a militant attack near the Gaza fence.

Cairo said some of the gunmen had crossed into Egypt via the tunnels - a charge denied by Palestinians - and ordered an immediate crackdown.

The move surprised and angered Gaza's rulers, the Islamist group Hamas, which had hoped for much better ties with Cairo following the election last year of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, an Islamist who is ideologically close to Hamas.

A Hamas official confirmed Egypt was again targeting the tunnels. He gave no further details and declined to speculate on the timing of the move, which started while Palestinian faction leaders met in Cairo to try to overcome deep divisions.

Criticizing Cairo

Hamas said on Monday the Egyptian-brokered talks, aimed at forging a unity government and healing the schism between politicians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, had gone badly but had not collapsed.

While Gaza's rulers have been reluctant to criticize Morsi in public, ordinary Gazans have been more vocal.

"Egyptian measures against tunnels have worsened since the election of Morsi. Our Hamas brothers thought he would open up Gaza. I guess they were wrong," said a tunnel owner, who identified himself only as Ayed, fearing reprisal.

"Perhaps 150 or 200 tunnels have been shut since the Sinai attack. This is the Morsi era," he added.

The tunnellers fear the water being pumped underground might collapse the passageways, with possible disastrous consequences.

"Water can cause cracks in the wall and may cause the collapse of the tunnel. It may kill people," said Ahmed Al-Shaer, a tunnel worker whose cousin died a year ago when a tunnel caved in on him.

Six Palestinians died in January in tunnel implosions, raising the death toll amongst workers to 233 since 2007, according to Gazan human rights groups, including an estimated 20 who died in various Israeli air attacks on the border lands.

Israel imposed its blockade for what it called security reasons in 2007. The United Nations has appealed for it to be lifted.

At one stage an estimated 2,500-3,000 tunnels snaked their way under the desert fence but the network has shrunk markedly since 2010, when Israel eased some of the limits they imposed on imports into the coastal enclave.

All goods still have to be screened before entering Gaza and Israel says some restrictions must remain on items that could be used to make or to store weapons.

This ensures the tunnels are still active, particularly to bring in building materials. Hamas also prefers using the tunnels to smuggle in fuel, thereby avoiding custom dues that are payable on oil crossing via Israel.

Committee of military affairs at Interior and National Security Ministry has discussed with the Civil Defense procedures of public safety in Rafah tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip. It was agreed to begin immediately closing all unsafe tunnels, in addition to forming two technical and safety committees by the Civil Defense to examine the tunnels.

According to Article III in the tunnels list, the Safety and Security Committee is in charge of the Civil Defense, the Ministries of Labor and Economy, and the borders body, approved by the Minister of Interior and National Security.

While Article IV stated that tunnel owners have to get an annual authorization of this committee, and anyone who violates the application of security requirements and public safety in the tunnels will be reported to the border body.

The committee works to guide the citizens to provide all the requirements for security and public safety in the tunnels, to hand notifications to owners of the tunnels in violation of safety standards, and to inform the border body about unsafe tunnels to close them.

Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported that a Palestinian man was killed, and another was injured, in a tunnel accident in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The accident took place in a siege-busting tunnel in As-Salaam neighborhood, in Rafah; one resident was also injured.

The body of the slain Palestinian, age 33, and the wounded resident, were moved to the Abu Yousef An-Najjar Hospital in Rafah.

A week ago Saturday, a Palestinian teenager was killed, on Saturday at night, when a siege-busting tunnel, in Rafah in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, collapsed on him.

The youth was identified as Hamza Abu Morr, 19. The accident took place in a tunnel located in Al-Barazil neighborhood, in Rafah.

The Al-Mezan Center for Human rights reported Thursday that the number of Palestinians killed in tunnel accidents arrived to 232, including twenty Palestinians who were killed after the Israeli army bombarded several tunnels as they were in them.

A Palestinian citizen died while two others were injured in the collapse of a tunnel in the Barazil neighborhood in the city of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Saturday evening.

Medical sources told PIC's correspondent that the emergency and medical staff managed to recover the body of Ibrahim Harb, 19, and took it to Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital, and saved the lives of his brother and his cousin, who had been trapped inside the tunnel they were working in at night.

The reasons behind the tunnel collapse are still unknown, but some witnesses think that it might be the repercussions of the recent severe weather conditions which hit the area last week.

Many citizens have been killed during collapses of tunnels on the Egyptian-Palestinian borders.

(File photo) Palestinian medical sources reported that a Palestinian teenager was killed, on Saturday at night, when a siege-busting tunnel, in Rafah in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, collapsed on him; two Palestinian are still missing under the rubble.

The youth was identified as Hamza Abu Morr, 19. The accident took place in a tunnel located in Al-Barazil neighborhood, in Rafah.

Medics and rescue teams found his lifeless body under the rubble, and are still searching for two more residents believed to be buried under the rubble too.

On Thursday January 17, Palestinian rescue teams located the body of a resident who went missing last week when a siege busting tunnel on the border with Egypt collapsed on him due to heavy rain.

Last Sunday, one Palestinian was killed and three others were injured when a siege-busting tunnel on the border with Egypt collapsed on them.

The Palestinians in Gaza started digging tunnels after Israel enforced its deadly siege on the coastal region in 2006.

The siege has left hospitals and medical centers in the coastal region out of basic and specialized supplies and equipment, an issue that has led to the death of more than 400 patients, including children and infants.

The Al-Mezan Center for Human rights reported Thursday that the number of Palestinians killed in tunnel accidents arrived to 232, including twenty Palestinians who were killed after the Israeli army bombarded several tunnels as they were in them.

Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights stated that 232 Palestinians have died while 597 others have been injured due to the working accidents in the tunnels at the Palestinian-Egyptian borders in Rafah, since 2006.

The Centre said in a statement on Thursday that, since 2006, the number of those killed in the tunnels has reached 232 people, including 20 killed by Israeli shelling on the tunnels and its surroundings and 9 children, while the number of the employees in the tunnels who had been injured hit 597.

It noted that the work in the tunnels continues to cause human losses "in light of the absence of measures which could reduce casualties and protect the lives of the employees and their physical safety".

The tunnels phenomenon has remarkably emerged in 2006, when Israel imposed the siege as a punitive measure on the Gaza Strip after Hamas won the Legislative Council elections.

The Human rights center called on the government to take all measures necessary to protect the workers in the tunnels and to prevent more casualties, pointing out that poverty and destitution represent the workers' main motive to risk their lives in order to earn a living.

AL-Mezan Center demanded the government in Gaza to search into the feasibility of continuing working in the tunnels in light of the continuation of human losses and the decline of its contribution to the Palestinian economy in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian rescue teams located the body of a resident who went missing last week when a siege busting tunnel on the border with Egypt collapsed on him due to heavy rain.

Medical sources reported that the search and rescue operations did not stop since the accident took place but the mud resulting from the heavy rain slowed the rescue operation, in addition to the fact the those tunnels extend a long distance to the Egyptian side.

The sources said that the resident has been identified as Salem Mousa Abu Samaha, 30, an Egyptian citizen living in the Az-Zawayda town, in central Gaza.

Two tunnel workers were rescued after it partially collapsed, and rescue team continued the search for other missing tunnel workers.

Last Sunday, one Palestinian was killed and three others were injured when a siege-busting tunnel on the border with Egypt collapsed on them, in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

Rescue teams managed to save three wounded tunnel workers from under the rubble, while a fourth suffocated before he was rescued. The rescue campaign lasted for around five hours. The tunnel is located west of the Salah Ed-Deen Gate, in Rafah.

The tunnel partially collapsed while the four workers were in it leading to the death of Ali Al-Qadi, 20, while the three wounded workers have been identified as Hazim Abu Arram, 25, Jibreel Abu Jazar, 23, and Maysara Al-Batneejy, 20; they were all moved to Abu Yousef AN-Najjar Hospital in Rafah suffering moderate injuries, the Milad News Agency reported.

More than a week, a tunnel collapsed on four workers; two were rescued while the search the search continued for missing tunnel workers.

More than 212 Palestinians have been killed in similar tunnel incidents, while hundreds have been injured since 2006.

The Palestinians in Gaza started digging tunnels after Israel enforced its deadly siege on the coastal region.

The siege has left hospitals and medical centers in the coastal region out of basic and specialized supplies and equipment, an issue that has led to the death of more than 400 patients, including children and infants.

The Israeli occupation army announced that its forces had discovered yesterday evening, a tunnel in the north of Karm Abu Salem crossing, on the borders with the Gaza Strip. Military sources in the occupation army said in remarks published by the Hebrew media on Tuesday that "the tunnel was drilled from inside the Gaza Strip in order to carry out sabotage attacks in Israel, as it seems," according to the Israeli sources.

They pointed out that the tunnel extends from the eastern region in Al Shouja'iya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City to the Nahal Oz crossing in the border region.

The sources also noted that the leadership of the Israeli army considered these acts to be extremely serious, in light of the bilateral truce agreements between the Israeli government and Hamas movement.

Palestinian medical sources in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, reported that one Palestinian was killed and three others were injured when a siege-busting tunnel on the border with Egypt collapsed on them.

The sources said that rescue teams managed to save three wounded tunnel workers from under the rubble, while a fourth suffocated before he was rescued.

The sources added that the rescue campaign lasted for around five hours. The tunnel is located west of the Salah Ed-Deen Gate, in Rafah.

The tunnel partially collapsed while the four workers were in it leading to the death of Ali Al-Qadi, 20, while the three wounded workers have been identified as Hazim Abu Arram, 25, Jibreel Abu Jazar, 23, and Maysara Al-Batneejy, 20; they were all moved to Abu Yousef AN-Najjar Hospital in Rafah suffering moderate injuries, the Milad News Agency reported.

It is worth mentioning that, a few days ago, a tunnel collapsed on four workers; two were rescued while the search is still ongoing for the others.

Approximately 212 Palestinians have been killed in similar tunnel incidents, while hundreds have been injured since 2006.

The Palestinians in Gaza started digging tunnels after Israel enforced its deadly siege on the coastal region.

The siege has left hospitals and medical centers in the coastal region out of basic and specialized supplies and equipment, an issue that has led to the death of more than 400 patients, including children and infants.

Rescue teams managed to save a Palestinian worker while three others went missing when the tunnel they were digging underneath the Gaza-Egypt borders collapsed on their head in Rafah on Saturday evening. Security sources told the PIC reporter that civil defense brigades and medical teams rushed to the scene south of Rafah and retrieved one badly hurt worker.

They said that the rescue teams were looking for three other workers who were still missing in the tunnel collapse.

More than 200 Palestinians were killed and 800 others were wounded in similar incidents since the Israeli blockade was imposed on Gaza Strip in 2006. Tunnels have been increasingly the main source of basic supplies to the besieged enclave since then.

An Egyptian security source reported Thursday that the heavy rainfall, that started several days ago, caused the collapse of a number of siege-busting tunnels in Rafah, across the border with Egypt.

The Maan News Agency reported that the heavy rain flooded the siege-busting tunnels, and that the Egyptian security source stated that “most of the tunnels collapsed due to the rain, and the tunnels that did not collapse, are now completely flooded.”

The agency added that trucks that transport the “smuggled goods” on the Palestinian side of the border area could not operate due to the rain, and due to the fact that the tunnels that are still intact, could be dangerous and likely to collapse.

In related news, several armored Israeli military vehicles invaded, on Thursday morning, Palestinian lands in Beit Lahia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

The army, accompanied by two armored military bulldozers, advanced for a distance of around 200 meters into the area, and started uprooting agricultural lands; no clashes were reported.

At least 209 Palestinians have been killed in different tunnel incidents, while hundreds have been injured since 2006.

Palestinians in Gaza started digging tunnels after Israel enforced its deadly siege on the coastal region.

The siege has left hospitals and medical centers in the coastal region out of basic and specialized supplies and equipment, an issue that has led to the death of more than 400 patients, including children.